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Te Reo O Te Roto
The Language of the Lake
Issue 32 | 20 August 2021
Sports

Sports Award Nominations Open

Our annual Sports Awards will be held on Thursday 28 October at our new Event Centre.

During the award ceremony, we acknowledge significant external sporting achievements. Students who qualify are able to fill in the form HERE if they qualify under the following categories:

Distinction Certificate
To be awarded to any student who has achieved exceptional results in their sport at a National level, but it is not a school sport (or the student was unable to represent the school) so cannot be recognised in the Special Award categories.

SPECIAL AWARDS – students must have represented the school in the listed sport(s)

“Honours” Award
To be awarded to any team or individual who has achieved either of the following:
• Selection in a New Zealand Junior age-group representative team/individual sport (up to and including U16)

“Blues” Award
To be awarded to any team or individual who has achieved either of the following:
• Selection for a New Zealand senior age group (U17+) representative team/individual

All Nomination Forms must be submitted by 4pm Wednesday 15 September.

Academic

Action-packed trip - despite an early end

The Year 13 Outdoor Ed class had an eventful trip to National Park recently. Although they had planned for three days canoeing the Whanganui River, the weather had different plans (more rain and snow fall than predicted!) so they came back a day early.

However, they did get in a beautiful afternoon of canoeing as well as a local hike, indoor climbing, thermal pools, snowmen making and a cultural marae experience. Despite the change of plans, the students had a great time and got a lot out of the trip in terms of understanding safety management issues in the outdoors, which is what their associated internal assessment is all about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arts & Culture

Outstanding Storytelling Award won at ShowQuest

By Dawn Vilaga

 

Westlake Girls’ High School – Virago, Showquest 2021, Aotea Centre – Auckland Senior, 01-07-21

My name is Dawn and I worked with my friend, Breanna for the Toi competition for ShowQuest this year.

We decided to make the theme of our Toi related to Greek mythology, specifically, Greek goddesses. We brainstormed for about a term, figuring out what we want to portray with our piece, sending each other Instagram posts for ideas and imagining how we want it to look like. Since both of us are really passionate about feminism, we decided to make our Toi, a strong, powerful character that girls can look up to.

We named her Virago which means a young female warrior. We tried to represent this by the use of blue and pink clashing together as the colours often depict gender; the ‘flowy’ parts(the top and ruffles) showing femininity and daintiness of a woman and the more structured part (pants, hand armour, corset) the side of aggression and more men-like qualities of a warrior.

The painting on the wing depict the freedom that we, as women, have on our choices and to show our independence and capabilities. The black bird typically represents death and loss. However, with the white bird beside it, they symbolise rebirth and new beginnings to present the change we want to happen in our society – to remove the gender role expectations given to women.

It took us about 11 weeks to finally complete the whole look. Mainly the last 2 weeks procrastinating and panicking on last minute changes and finalising ideas.

A lot of sleepless nights and endless hard work during the weekends was put into Virago. We both think it paid off as we had so much fun on the night. It was a great experience for the both of us designers and our lovely model, Francine. We got to experience runway rehearsals, photoshoot and preparing the model all in one day. It was also very exciting to meet other fellow designers from other schools that we made friends with.

We would like to thank Mrs Meikle and Ms Luisetti for their endless support while making the garments, especially Mrs Meikle, providing last minute help on the day of ShowQuest.

On the night of the show, we won the “Outstanding Storytelling Award” which was very gratifying as we were able to tell a story which we were both very passionate about.

Sadly, we didn’t win any national awards but nonetheless, we were still glad that a lot of people got to see what we made and we’ve received heaps of appreciation and compliments from everyone which was truly heartwarming.

 

Arts & Culture

Song writer makes the finals

Kinda Kassibawi (Year 10) has been successful as a finalist in the Lion Foundation Play it Strange Song Writing Competition. She entered her original song “You Don’t Care About Me” and was one of the 93 finalists selected from around New Zealand. As a finalist, Kinda will be recording her song in a professional recording studio and it will be released on the Play it Strange playlist later in the year.

Academic

Transgender athlete talks facts vs opinion

The inclusion of athletes who are transgender became a hot topic in the lead up to Laurel Hubbard’s participation in the Tokyo Olympics . Much of today’s society is built upon opinions. From what we say to what we think and why, our world is governed by opinions.

However, according to Kate Weatherly, another transgender athlete who is a downhill mountain-biker, too often are we treat the topic of transgender athletes in sport as a scission of opinions, and not one of facts.  We were very fortunate to host Kate for a lunchtime talk last month.

It was interesting for all those who attended to hear directly from someone affected by this issue. Year 11 Social Studies students are currently looking at contrasting viewpoints on this topic for their external examination case study. 

Community

Let's get physical!

Our TIC Dance, Giz Visser-Heydon, has come up with a bunch of great videos that you use as the foundation of family fitness.

Suitable for younger children

Disney Mix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxgD9P-kMjE

Les Mills – Born To Dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WgkiB-GQMI

GoNoodle – Zumba dance party:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHo9QaJ1DyI

KidzBop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHd2s_saYsQ

Family Fun Cardio : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5if4cjO5nxo

Suitable for young adults and  older

Kaupapa Kori: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF9AvZ8Xlt0

Les Mills BodyJam workout with Nina Dobrev:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Srd6TwU6UoI&t=1950s

A Stretch a Day with Veraflow:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsFpHo9U9HY&t=30s

Kukuwa African dance: (15min): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7ytBN8eaiM

Dance fitness with Dovydas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRhLybMg0NU

Zumba with Mauricio -(30mins):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDD4r8regaE

Zumba trial (15min): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaBm4C7nGfc

Zumba Burn It Up! (60 mins): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0preNyyZ4M

Sports

Esports expert shares industry experience

On Wednesday 11 August, Erin Hughes came to talk to the Esports Club, a group for students interested in participating in online gaming competitions and meeting like-minded people.

Erin works at Let’s Play Live in Auckland and is soon moving to Amsterdam to start a new role as Esports Manager at PUBG. Erin elaborated on how esports has developed to be more inclusive of female players. This is due to an increase of female representatives in the industry and in gaming events. Erin encouraged anyone interested in a career in esports to practice and take any opportunities that come your way.

A great start on this pathway would be to join competitions that companies such as Let’s Play Live host. Erin highlighted that esports is an exciting and growing industry.

Sports

Great medal haul at NZSS champs

By Zoe Crawford
Swimmer Extraordinaire

The Westlake swimming crew had a blast at New Zealand Secondary Schools. We had a lot of great performances throughout the whole crew with a lot of personal bests and a few medals along the way.

The team environment was amazing and we all were supportive of each other when it came down to relays as we had a few younger girls in some of the top teams which is amazing to see. I think my personal highlight of the meet was the 8×50 relay, we all got behind each other to support even though people were in different teams. Overall everyone had a blast and had a great meet.

Medals

The following Westlake Girls High School students medalled at three Swimming Events over the past month – New Zealand Secondary School Championships, Auckland Short Course Championships and the recently suspended New Zealand Short Course Championships (which was suspended after Day One due to the Lockdown):

Zoe Crawford

New Zealand Secondary School Championships
1st (Gold) 100m Backstroke 16 year age group
1st (Gold) 200m Backstroke 16 year age group
2nd (Silver) 50m Backstroke 16 year age group

Auckland Short Course Championships
2nd (Silver) 100m Backstroke 15/16 year age group
2nd (Silver) 200m Backstroke 15/16 year age group

New Zealand Short Course Championships
3rd (Bronze) 100m Backstroke 16 year age group

A member of the NZ Tri-Series Tour Squad.


Savannah-Eve Martin

New Zealand Secondary School Championships
2nd (Silver) 50m Backstroke 15 year age group

Auckland Short Course Championships
2nd (Silver) 50m Backstroke 15/16 year age group
3rd (Bronze) 200m Backstroke 15/16 year age group

New Zealand Short Course Championships
4th 100m Backstroke 15 year age group

Qualified for the New Zealand Development Squad.

 

Mia Stanley-Hunt

New Zealand Secondary School Championships
2nd (Silver) 50m Backstroke 14 year age group

Auckland Short Course Championships
2nd (Silver) 200m Backstroke 13/14 year age group
3rd (Bronze) 50m Backstroke 13/14 year age group
3rd (Bronze) 100m Backstroke 13/14 year age group

Lena Hamblyn-Ough

Auckland Short Course Championships
1st (Gold) 800m Freestyle 15/16 year age group
1st (Gold) 1500m Freestyle 15/16 year age group
2nd (Silver) 400m Freestyle 15/16 year age group

Doyoun Kim

Auckland Short Course Championships
3rd (Bronze) 200m Individual Medley 15/16 year age group

Kaira Wohlfarth

Auckland Short Course Championships
3rd (Bronze) 200m Backstroke 13/14 year age group

 

 

 

 

 

 

Savannah-Eve Martin (left)                                                Mia Stanley-Hunt (left) and Lena Hambly Ough (right)

 

 

 

 

 

Zoe Crawford in action above left                          Mia Stanley-Hunt on the left with her silver medal

 

 

 

 

 

Zoe Crawford with her gold medal, centre                      With her bronze medal, right

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Savannah-Eve Martin                                               Swimming relays

Community

Westlake Wellness - Keeping Engaged

By Elizabeth Beaumont
TIC Food Technology

Most of you will have been in touch with your teachers regarding work to attempt over the next week. Connecting with school may not be a priority in your family at this point, as it is hard to feel engaged at home in a different environment with a different set of distractions.

However, having a sense of purpose in the day and achieving small goals will really assist with mental health and coping abilities. It can also be an opportunity to consolidate what you know and identify where you really need help for when you return to school.

Some simple tasks to help you feel engaged could be

  1. Join your Google Class Meet or online lesson – use your camera, we love to see you.
  2. Complete a task you have been putting off – like selecting your subjects for 2022.
  3. Check over your work – have you been away and missed a vital concept?, email your teacher to assist you with what you can do to catch up with essential tasks.
  4. Have a online study zoom with a friend, where you challenge/quiz each other and discuss a topic to support your understanding.
  5. Put your knowledge into a different format by presenting as video, voice notes, drawing, mind maps, this allows you to show links you may not otherwise be able to communicate.

Having some welcome distraction to break up your day will also help you to engage when needed. Remember to:

  • Get outside in the fresh air, with your mask and only those immediate bubble members.
  • Eat nutritious food and regularly, your brain needs fueling too.
  • Drink plenty of water, even though it’s cold weather you still need at least 2 litres of fluids a day.
  • Watch something with the others in your household that you all enjoy – we’re doing cartoons today before dinner!
  • Bake a recipe or help make a meal, you could design a new recipe!

Stay safe and we are all looking forward to seeing you again soon back at school!

Academic

3D Printed Racing car: From zero to hero!!

The under-representation of girls and women in STEAM/STEM careers is still very much the harsh reality around the world and in NZ .This poses new challenges at the dawn of the era of digital transformation and the need for more diversity in the workforce. 

Lack of exposure to STEAM pathways and female role-models as well as unconscious bias are amongst the main reasons why girls are still not considering a career in STEAM/STEM. 

In the STEAM and E-STEAM programmes at Westlake Girls, we work hard to change these statistics.

Last week the E-STEAM students participated in a workshop at Massey University, School of Engineering and Advanced Technology to build a 3D Printed Formula 1 style racing car, including soldering the electronics components to enable them to remote control the car and race their friends.

Once the 3D printed race cars were build Printed Circuit Board (PCB) that students soldered components to was placed inside the car and connected to the motors and used as the “electric engine”. The PCB is made of conductive pathways etched or printed onto the board connecting different components onto the PCB – such as transistors, resistors and integrated circuits. Once all components are connected, the PCB is connected to a remote control.

Isabella Holt, left, was a natural when it came to building her car.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Problem solving on the go… building the 3D printed car from scratch with no instructions!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The finishing touches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s coming together!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A first go at soldering electronic components.

Academic

Pupuke Kāhui Ako STEAM Power-ED initiative

A community approach to addressing the STEAM pipeline

At Westlake Girls High School,we have been working hard to break down barriers leading to under-representation in STEAM.

Our partnership with the parent community has allowed us to reach untapped potential and collaboratively create authentic learning opportunities that address the lack of exposure and unconscious bias that our students arrived with at secondary school. However, to effectively and sustainably tackle the problem, we require a collective/community approach and earlier intervention at primary and intermediate levels.

Pictured above: E-STEAM students taking part in mini-internships at IAG, Genesis Energy, The Warehouse Group through in collaboration with our parent community.

We are very excited to be STEAMing ahead to plan our first STEAM Power-Ed community event, through our Pupuke Kāhui Ako which is made of two secondary, two intermediate and five primary schools, listed below.

The Pupuke Kāhui Ako STEAM Power-ED community event will take place later this year in our new event centre. The main outcome of this event is to provide us with the opportunity to engage the parent community as STEAM Ambassadors, to help our Kāhui Ako address issues and barriers around the STEAM pipeline, by accessing untapped potential within our parent community. Some of these barriers are highlighted in the Drawing the Future  and Digital skills for our Digital Future reports, such as lack of exposure and understanding of STEAM pathways and under-representation in STEAM. 

We held a co-design workshop to ensure its success in engaging the parent community as STEAM Ambassadors at our STEAM Power-ED community event. The workshop benefited from the participation of students, educators, parents already supporting our schools and advisors from the MoE, which is supporting this initiative.

 

 

 

Above left: Susana Tomaz, STEAM Coordinator and ASL for the Pupuke Kāhui Ako with Ariana George, Year 13 and STEAM/E-STEAM ex-student and Future Engineer. Addressing the lack of representation in STEAM.

Pictured at top: Vanya Walker, Agile Coach at the Warehouse group, co-facilitating the workshop.

Please email me at [email protected] to find out more or be involved.

Academic

Experiencing TAPAS at Westlake

By Holly Trent and Erina Brown

In Year 11 Spanish we are learning all about the food in Spanish and Latin American culture.

As part of this, during Week 2, our class was lucky enough to enjoy some of this culture as we were served tapas made by our teacher, Señora Furtado. Tapas are a well–known dish that are made particularly in Spain. They are little plates of food served at bars to have with drinks and are very delicious!

For our tapas we had little pieces of bread topped with olive oil, a choice of meats, such as chorizo and jamón (Spanish ham), and vegetables. As we were eating we learned all about the names of the food and their significance to Spanish culture. Overall it was incredible to have the opportunity to eat delicious food in this hands-on learning experience!

 

 

Sports

Westlake are North Harbour Rugby Champs!

By Holly Williams

The Premier Rugby 12s team played in the final of the North Harbour Girls Under-17 Youth Competition versus Rangitoto College on Sunday 8 August.

This final was the culmination of a successful season, which saw the team go through round robin play unbeaten scoring 328 points and having only 22 points scored against them. They then won a hard fought semi final against Massey High when six of the team were away on camp or out injured.

Making this final was a reward for the school rugby program which has been building for 4 years now. Many players had experienced defeat in the same final in 2019 or disappointment in having the season cut short due to Covid in 2020 and were determined to play well. And that is just what they did, representing Westlake proudly and winning the final 53-17 to earn the title of North Harbour Champions.

 

 

Community

Lockdown Legends

Over past lockdowns, we have featured staff and students working and learning from home, with their top tips for making the most of the time. Well, here we go again! It’s only Day 3 but a few teachers have sent these in. You can also find them on Facebook over the next days/weeks.

Mrs Olga Pascan

You might have noticed the amazing dessert pictured above. That was made by Mrs Olga Pascan. Cooking is one of the things she enjoys during lockdown. Here’s what else she had to say.

I try hard to follow my routine so, I am actively engaged exchanging emails, communicating with students and colleagues, posting work and marking students’ work. That often carries on throughout the day – students email at random times and I, immediately email them back. That’s my office on the left.

I worry about my students during lockdown, but that worry motivates me to remain fully engaged and to go the extra mile in helping my students  achieve their best. Last year, regardless of the numerous disruptions, I had 20 endorsements in a class of 27 😊

I also, read, go for a walk, paint (by numbers) and I COOK… I have a team of 10 friends (6  high school teachers, 2 doctors, 1 pharmacist, 1 accountants) and we have started our competition last year during our first lock down.

We run the ‘online cooking competition’ – each of us, makes some special meal and present it in a very original way – take photo and share in our viber group. The meals and the photos are fit for the best, top culinary magazines !!!!

My top piece of advice for my class is: this is now the time to show what you are made of and to truly challenge yourself. Let this be thy test – what does not break you, make you stronger, as the famous lyrics go. Show that you are mature, capable, intelligent and brave young women who can face any and every problem with grace and fire. When life gives us lemon, we make lemonade.

I know my students will thrive (just like last year) because our Westlake  Girls know what they want and how to get there. They are mature young women who are born warriors and winners. They know that the only path in life is – PER ASPERA AD ASTRA

Mr Kheang Ov and Mrs Nicola Ov

Yes! We have a husband and wife team working at Westlake. They sent in this gorgeous photo of their children working hard on Day Two of the lockdown, with this caption:

“Our kids can do it! So can you! Just another school day…”

They certainly look engaged in their learning!

Ms Kirsten Allen

How you are structuring your day?
We’re only on Day 3 so things might change, but so far I’ve been getting up at a normal-ish time (7am) and either doing some yoga or taking Rosie for a walk. Then I try to work until lunchtime when we all watch the briefing as a family. After lunch we are getting out for a family walk or bike ride, then back home for a bit more work and then dinner time. Evenings are for family TV shows – at the moment we are watching Turner and Hooch!

What are the top fun things you to do keep yourself motivated?
Yoga, walking, reading, baking, playing with Rosie, hanging out with my husband and children.

What’s your top piece of advice for your classes?
Don’t think too far ahead – just focus on what you can get done today.

Why you think Westlake students will thrive during lockdown?
Because of strong connections and relationships with family, friends and teachers.

Ms Carol Wright

This is what happens when you are trying to stay away from stressed teenagers doing online school so that you can get speech marking done … sailing training gear becomes a makeshift work station!

Year 12 speeches here I come!

Mrs Linda Clouston

Mrs Clouston heads our counselling team. She sent in this photo of her two amazing lockdown companions! These dogs are German Shepherd father and son called Buck and Max.

What pets are you sharing lockdown with? Are they enjoying having you home, or are they a bit confused!

 

Academic

Important Things to Note - 20 August

What’s been affected by lockdown?

Now that we know lockdown is being extended, we will assess all of the events, activities and sports that are affected. If your daughter has had a trip, event or tournament affected, she will hear directly from her teacher. We will endeavour to reschedule where possible, although please understand this may not be possible.

Contacting the school during lockdown

Our teachers, Deans and Counsellors are available for students and parents during lock down. The best way to reach our counsellors is to text them to make an appointment for a phone conversation. Here are their details:

Mrs Linda Clouston          027 381 8379

Mrs Fleur Piper                 027 380 4578

Mrs Siew Lee Foo             027 381 1323

Mrs Barbara Mackay      021 0254 7431

The Deans can be contacted by email. You will find their details HERE

Sports

Due to the recent Government Announcement regarding our current Alert Level status all School Sports Competitions and Tournaments have been suspended until further notice. The Sport Department staff are currently working from home if you have any queries email: [email protected]. Please check the school website for any updates.

Article on Teacher Training 

Westlake Boys High School Principal David Ferguson was quoted this week in an article by Education HQ about a new model of teacher training set to address New Zealand’s critical teacher shortage. .  HERE is the link to the article. You have to sign in to read the article, but it’s free to do so.

Sports

Students selected for NZ Cheerleading team

Four Westlake students – Macy Vaudry, Cheyenne Spencer, Leah Richmond and Yuzu Akiyama – have been selected for the New Zealand Cheerleading Team.

The team of 20 will be competing in the Cheerleading Worlds and the International Cheer Union Championship, held virtually in September (Covid allowing). These two competitions are the highest ranked competitions for Cheerleading in the World and are equivalent to the Olympics.

Trials were held in 2019 for Worlds in May in 2020, which were sadly cancelled because of Covid. Athletes then had to retrial in 2020 for Worlds in September this year. New Zealand will have 2 teams, ALL Girl and CoEd team (guys and girls) which compete in different divisions. The teams age in range from 14 years up to about 35.

There will be a boot camp in September. Representing New Zealand is a huge achievement and we are excited to see how the the team competes.

Here the students talk about their time cheerleading and what they love about it

Macy Vaudrey (pictured above in a flip on the right)

How long have you been a cheerleader? 
I have been a cheerleader for almost 6 years. I started when I saw a friend doing cheer and thought it looked fun. I didn’t expect it to become so big.

What do you love most about it?
I love getting to train with such amazing talented people who are so supportive of everyone. I also love the feeling after hitting a great routine and representing New Zealand – it makes me feel proud.

What club do you perform with?
All Star New Zealand. I am in Team NZ CoEd, and my club teams are Legends and Royalty.

What sort of training are you now needing to do to get ready?
At the moment we train 3 times a week plus we take a tumble class we do 30 minutes of strength and conditioning with personal trainer.

Tell us about being part of Team NZ in the American national cheerleading competition
The USA national event was a couple of months ago and we were in the international open coed Division. We won gold. It was such a great experience but was quite tough on everyone as we had a very short time frame to get our routine perfect and submit our video on time. It was super rushed as we got a late entry into the competition and it took a lot of extra training but was so worth it in the end when we won.

Yuzu Akiyama

How long have you been a cheerleader?
This is my 9th or 10th year as a cheerleader

What do you love most about it?
The family you build with the people and the unconditional trust with your teammates

What club do you perform with?
All star.

What sort of training are you now needing to do to get ready
I train twice a week for club and once a week for Team NZ – a total of 9 hours. Plus, we also put in work outside of training whenever and however we can, to be better for our the team, since we have to motivate ourselves more than ever this year because we are not travelling.

September is the toughest because we go into Boot Camp where we train Monday to Friday, 8am-8pm.

Tell us about being part of Team NZ in the American national cheerleading competition.
This is my second year being in Team NZ and competing (first time being in 2018, getting a bronze and silver). I just love meeting other people we never really see from other clubs from our country and creating this mutual bond through our struggles and pain. Putting our bodies through a lot is hard, but having people who want it as much as you do is where our chosen family vibe comes from. Because of these opportunities you watch yourselves push eac hother past impossible limits and watch everyone at their worst and best, it’s a raw experience where you find your real friends.

Leah Richmond

How long have you been a cheerleader?
I have been a cheerleader for 11 years, started at the age of 4

What do you love most about it?
There are many things I love about cheerleading but not only the actual sport and the stunting, but also the people. Everyone is so loving and kind they are all a family if not more. The environment is so positive and uplifting all the time which is just another reason why I love cheerleading – and of course stunting and tumbling that brings me joy.

What club do you perform with?
I preform and train with All Star Legacy Cheerleaders but there is also many other gyms located around NZ depending on where you are located. Team NZ trials are held every year at the All Star Legacy Cheersport gym. I’ve trialed every since I was old enough and been lucky enough to have made it every year. I was selected after the trials of stunting, tumbling and a dance choreography too.

What sort of training are you now needing to do to get ready?
We do what are called “full outs” this is when you do everything full out, all tumble skills, all stunting ablities, motions all the way through until the end. This may seem easy to thoes who do not participate in cheerleading but the fitness and talent it requirers is absolutely crazy.

Tell us a bit about being part of Team NZ in the American national cheerleading competition.
It was amazing to be apart of a competition that is exclusive, the training was hard as we didn’t have much time to practice but we worked hard out days on end for hours but seeing the results and knowing it was the first online comps that NZ has ever competed in.

Cheyenne Spencer

How long have you been a cheerleader?
This will be my 6th year doing it

What do you love most about it?
The friendships I have made and the competitions we do, especially the feeling of running onto the stage with my friends and the crowd cheering, or coming off the floor and knowing that we did a good performance.

What club do you perform with?
All Star Legacy Cheerleaders

What sort of training are you now needing to do to get ready?
I train three days a week, which is 10 hours a week of intense training to make sure we are ready.

Tell us a bit about being part of Team NZ in the American national cheerleading competition.
It feels  really good and I’m proud of myself for how far I have come and worked to get to this spot. It’s amazing to say I am representing our country in Cheerleading. It’s a lot of hard work and dedication but it will be worth it in the end.

 

 

Sports

Sports Shorts

Golf

Congratulations to Year 11 student, Connie Jarm, who performed extremely well at the Auckland Secondary Schools Strokeplay Championship on Monday 16 August, to win bronze on countback in the Girls Net competition.  She narrowly missed out on silver.


Yoga

Monday yoga lunch time: Yoga for all students will be run in Gym 2 every week  until the end of the year (just turn up and change out of a skirt) no registration necessary. A qualified yoga instructor will take the session.

Thursday after school yoga for all students – 3.25pm – 4.25pm in Gym 2
Just turn up and change out of a skirt. No registration necessary. A qualified yoga instructor will take the session.

Other physical activities organised for students at lunch time include:

Wednesday lunch time – workout Wednesdays in the fitness room with Georgia

Friday lunch time – Funday Friday activities run by sports and wellbeing prefects in Gym 1

Chess

WGHS students took part in an National on-line chess tournament recently. Logan Daly  for  the Chess Power Champions Trophy in October as only the first 3 individuals qualify. She came third at the National level. Binu Kularathne took 4th place.

Climbing

Two Westlake Girls students took part in a series of three climbing events as part of the Auckland College Climbing Series.

Both students performed exceptionally well and were commended by the event organiser, their overall results are:

Mia Edwards (pictured on right) – Year 11-13: Most Improved over the series – 1st Place

Lisa Parkin (pictured on left) – year 11-13: Most improved over the series – 3rd Place

Community

Peace Week activities bring students together

By the Peace Week Committee

Peace Week is an annual event that coincides with the commemoration of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War Two. Friday 6 August 2021 marked the 76th Anniversary, and in memory of the victims of war and to advocate for peace, Westlake Girls commemorated with a variety of events organised by the Peace Week committee.

On Monday, the annual Peace Week paper crane folding event was held with over 130 people attending. Following a quick introduction about Sadako Sasaki, a young Japanese girl who died from Leukemia as a result of the Hiroshima atomic bombing, we began to fold the paper cranes. Friendship-bracelet-making Wednesday was arguably one of the most popular Westlake Peace week events to date. Then on Thursday Nikka, Noelle, and Sophia performed One Love by Bob Marley & The Wailers. We also enjoyed two sing-alongs, Amazing Grace and Tūtira Mai. Finally, on Friday we had a peace inspired Project Runway session in collaboration with students from Rosmini College.

We would like to thank everyone who helped make the week possible and advocated for peace!

Photos below by Carrie Wang, Westlake Photography Crew

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Academic

Understanding today by studying the past

By Michelle Wang
Art History Buff

To enrich our collective understanding of the history of cultural heritage within New Zealand, Year 12 Art History students endeavoured on a trip through the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

As part of our internal that encouraged us to navigate our personal response to art, the class explored the imposing exterior of the Neoclassical architecture, as well as the Grand Foyer and Māori Court. Assuming the role of critics and analysts, the classical Greek revival architecture and portraits painted by Goldie and Lindauer were dissected through thorough notes, sketches, and photographs.

Upon completing the initial tasks, the class were encouraged to roam around to other portions of the museum to admire the fine craftsmanship of the interior, as well as the displayed artifacts.

Personally, I have learnt that the Greek Revival style was chosen as it embodied the idea of remembrance and knowledge, thus reflecting the museum’s function as both a war memorial and a collection of natural, human, and military history. The decision of using the Greek revival style was also buttressed by the site of the museum being upon the remains of a dormant volcano, mirroring the Acropolis Museum in Athens being constructed upon the Acropolis of Athens (an archaeological site).

Academic

Four seasons in one day creates challenges - and fun!

By Anja Filip
Adventurer

Sun. Snow. Rain. Wind. Mud. Fog. Drenched socks. This is year 12 PE’s five days at Hillary Outdoors in the Tongariro National Park, summed up in a few words. However for many of us, it was a significant and even life-changing experience.

From snow tramping (aka face planting in the snow), caving, bush bashing, conquering the high ropes, rock climbing, mountaineering, canoeing, to spending 2 hours on wooden planks, our leadership abilities were tested, strong bonds were formed and unforgettable memories were made. 

Everyone was challenged in different ways, whether it was clambering and ducking through narrow spaces in the Okupata caves, ascending up steep trails, purely being outdoors, braving a night outside in the wilderness, or forming snowballs with numb fingers. With a close group of nine other adventurers, we shared several laughs, supported one another in difficult terrain, learnt much about new people and experienced not only a physical journey, but also a mental and emotional one. 

Wading through knee deep mud, eating carrot sandwiches, and sleeping on rocks in a cave, were some of my favourite parts of the week. They were a part of the smaller challenges that needed to be conquered, and were easily achieved by an enhanced positive mindset about the obstacles we face and an ‘in the moment’ outlook on life. 

My strong appreciation for our planet’s natural environment, the whenua and ‘Papatūānuku’, became even more significant, through being immersed in nature and the magnificent landscapes of the central North Island, for five action-packed days. 

For some, it was their first time touching snow or even spending the night outdoors. The week was a life changing experience and many of us left with improved mindsets, different perspectives on life as well as new goals and aspirations. 

Thank you to Hillary Outdoors for a fantastic adventure!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Community

Bringing the world to Westlake Girls High School

By Jenny Howe

On Saturday 7 August, the annual Lake MUNA took place at Westlake Boys High School. This event was entirely volunteer run by our Westlake HSAs (including Westlake Girls students Grace Chen and myself) and additional tertiary students. Sixty students from both Westlake Girls High School and Westlake Boys High School attended the event.

In the morning there was a lively workshop about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, where students discussed the importance of each goal. We then moved into separate committees which were created based on different topics, such as foreign intervention in humanitarian crises, climate change, and corruption. Each student was assigned a country and represented these countries in their committees to attempt to solve global issues according to their country’s views and beliefs.

This conference was extremely beneficial for students to develop their research skills, as well as becoming more confident in their public speaking. We received lots of positive feedback after the event, including Shivani Arivuchelvan who said; “It was truly a great day and I learnt a lot about both our world and how the UN work”.

Sports

National champs

During the holidays Cooper Godbold (Year 10), Carla Peters-Boak (Year 11) and Harriet Gowing (Year 11) competed in the North Harbour U 16 B Water Polo team in the National Tournament held in Rotorua. They won the national title which was a fantastic finish to the season.

A special mention goes to Cooper Godbold (pictured) who was named MVP of the tournament. Well done Cooper, very well deserved

Academic

Taking on the world - with a smile!

On Friday 6 August, 13 Year 12 Travel & Tourism students battled the rain to get to ITC (International Travel College) in the city to do a Unit Standard Assessment in Customer Service.

They learnt about the industry and developed their customer service skills, gaining two credits towards their NZQA qualification. They also heard a guest speaker from AJ Hackett Bungy who talked about what her job involves and the exciting opportunities in the New Zealand travel and tourism field.

Academic

Science, physics and a good dose of fun - it's how we solve the world's greatest problems!

On Saturday 7 August, 25 Year 12 and Year 13 Physics students locked themselves into A block for 8 hours to research and report on one of the worlds largest issues, Climate Instability.

Our seven WGHS teams competed against 200+ teams across New Zealand, Cook Islands, Niuean, and Tokelau, as part of the NZ Science Engineering Competition event  run by the University of Auckland Department of Engineering Science, and sponsored by Orion Health and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare.

Teams were tasked to explore the question: “How many 1 in 100-year extreme weather events can NZ expect to experience over the course of the next decade?”.

The judges will are now looking closely at the content to analyse the chain of reasoning in each report, the clarity and logical presentation of arguments, and mathematical modelling used to support their conclusions. Teams needed to present sound arguments for their approach to answering the question, but also to convey this through a well-written report.

The judging will take some weeks to complete, but with the fun, friendship, challenge, and real world application of their skills, our students are already winners for the experience!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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